


When life gives you lemons, make hand sanitizer

by pollux34



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Other, more characters will be added as time goes on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23419468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pollux34/pseuds/pollux34
Summary: a collection of short stories about how the mankai company would react in desperate and unpredictable times. more or less a character study.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. hello?

“Director, you’ve got to look at this!”

Izumi Tachibana turned her head to the voice coming from the front door. It was the Mankai Company’s manager, Matsukawa, rushing towards her with his trademark ever-worried look plastered to his face.

“What’s up, Matsukawa? Kamekichi fly off with your phone or something?” Izumi figured it was some random easily-solvable thing Matsukawa usually bothered her with.

He didn't respond. His hands shook as the blue screen of his smartphone lit up his glasses.

“Really, Matsukawa? What’s wrong?” The silence worried Izumi. He was never this quiet.

“Look…” the manager croaked out.

Izumi blinked at the phone screen that was shoved in her face.

_**“CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS EXCEED 15,000 – TOKYO TO BE HOTSPOT OF INFECTION SPREAD”** _

“Minister of Health Katsunobu Katō suspects there to be thousands more cases through community spread,” Matsukawa read the text on the screen.

The Mankai Company was currently 1 month away from its next show, a company-wide rendition of an American classic, _Grease_. Winter had not quite let up in Japan, so Spring Troupe’s opening night was covered in a thin layer of snow and a sheet of ice that Izumi and the other cast members were surprised that the house was still packed each night.

Right after the closing show, though, both Masumi and Sakuya fell ill with the flu, prompting Izumi to quarantine them in Sakuya’s room until they were able to walk without collapsing. Only a few weeks ago did the two start finally feeling better and the weather took a spritely turn.

“We’re in the Yokohama Prefecture, right? It takes 2 hours from Veludo Station to get to Tokyo. We’re gonna be fine. It’s not gonna get us,” Izumi bit her lip, saying that more to herself than to the manager next to her.

“This is getting really, really serious. Oh my GOD! What are we going to DO?!” Matsukawa finally let out a screeching yelp, accidentally letting go of his phone to hold his face in his hands.

“Matsukawa!” Izumi jumped at the sound of his smartphone hitting the floor, “You’ve got to settle down. We can’t let the boys get worked up. We have to stay calm for them.”

“We don’t have a plan! What will we do about our next show? I don’t—”

“Hey guys! Is everything alright out here?” Omi entered the living room. His director and manager looked really freaked out, especially Matsukawa, who was bent down on the floor glued to his smartphone screen.

“Hi, Omi. Everything is…” Izumi furrowed her brows and glanced at Matsukawa, “Everything is okay.”

“Um, okay,” he seemed to pass over the previous situation with a shake of his head. “I’m about to go shopping. I forgot some ingredients for dinner tonight. Do you wanna come with?”

Izumi shut her laptop and sighed. “Not today, Omi. I’m sorry. My head hurts.”

“I can get you some medicine. Some herbal tea could do the trick too,” the college student walked over to the front door, carefully stepping over his manager.

“If it doesn’t trouble you too much, that’d be great. Thank you, Omi.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“And Omi,” Izumi locked eyes with the taller man, “Please, wash your hands when you come back.”

“I always do, but I’ll make sure for you this time,” Omi struggled to understand why the director was acting this way—very not her usual chipper self. He watched her walk out of the living room but he stilled for a second, processing the worry he just felt bloom in his heart.

“What was all that about?” Banri strolled into the living room, plopping on the couch.

“I have no idea.”


	2. announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> izumi has an announcement to make concerning the current situation

“Hi guys,” Izumi looked around. The faces that made the Mankai Company what it was stared back at her. “You might know why we’re all here today.” 

She swallowed hard.

“There are over 45,000 cases of coronavirus in Japan and half of them are in Tokyo. There hasn’t been any cases confirmed in Veludo Way but there is a chance that it could spread to Yokohama in the coming weeks. Prime Minister Abe announced he’d be shutting down all non-essential businesses to keep crowds under 50 people and that would include theatre troupes.”

There was no turning back now.

“I have decided that it’s best to cancel our most upcoming performances and all performances thereafter until October—maybe November. We think it’s best to postpone Grease until then,” Izumi squeezed her eyes shut and bowed deeply, “I cannot imagine how hard this is for all of you. I am so, so sorry,” her attempt to hide her sorrow was miscalculated, because tears fell from her eyes, right onto the floor, staining the carpet.

Matsukawa took over for her as she composed herself, “You can go home if you’d like. You are certainly welcome to stay but it is not necessary.”

Izumi turned her head away and wiped the tears from her eyes. She wanted so badly to stay strong for her boys. She was always strong for them.

A small hand shot up in the crowd. It was Muku.

“We just can’t do anything anymore?” He looked helpless. He heart panged with guilt.

“Not exactly,” the director let out a shaky breath, “We have a plan, though, to continue generating revenue. We’ll post behind the scenes content to our YouTube channel and eventually some sort of virtual community donation drive or online fundraiser.” 

Another hand shot up. It was Yuki.

“Will that even be enough to keep the company going?”

Izumi didn’t get to answer Yuki before Banri pushed his opinion into the thought tank.

“I think we’ll be fine. We have an established audience and we’ve done two fanmeets already,” he shrugged.

“Banny’s right! It’ll be kind of like we’re idols now! You know, like BTS?” Kazunari’s head was always in the clouds.

Tsumugi coughed before he spoke up, “I wouldn’t mind doing it. As long as it helps the theater.”

The faces around her looked a little more relieved that others were voicing their opinions. Izumi could hear little murmurs of agreement between the boys.

“As long as everyone’s in agreement, it’ll be put in motion very soon. We can have troupe meetings tomorrow to get individual opinions on the plan,” Izumi finally felt a little more in control. She silently thanked the gods for her luck. But it was fleeting and she knew that. But for right now, she felt okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all i do is zoom class and then play a3


	3. knock knock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> izumi is a little selfish

Izumi just couldn’t hold it in anymore. The headlines were getting to her. She was scared. The virus was hitting Tokyo very fast and very hard. Her cousin lived in metropolitan and she told her there were 93 confirmed cases in her ward alone.

“Okay! Don’t think about it anymore,” Izumi slapped her cheeks, trying to snap out of the funk she let herself sink in.

“Oh,” Her hands were wet with tears. She didn’t realize she was still crying.

The last act had been called for the Mankai Company. Everything felt finished. Fin. The curtain had been closed. In earlier discussion that day, Sakyo said the company would take a huge hit without the revenue from physical shows even if the Mankai behind the scenes project was successful. The plan seemed well-received by everyone, it was far from what she—or anyone, for that matter-- wanted to do for the rest of the year.

And maybe it was a little selfish, but in her heart of hearts, Izumi didn’t want anything to change. She came to appreciate every single person who’d joined the Mankai Company. Teenager Izumi was unbearably lonely. Her mom was a good mom but their relationship was overshadowed by her father leaving when she was in high school. She had her other friends from college and her mom but she barely got to see them after becoming director of the company. It took up all her time. The last time she was home was right after the Winter Troupe’s debut stage. Adult Izumi made sure she'd never feel that way again.

She worked so hard to create the Mankai Company into something her dad would be proud of. Sometimes before shows she wished that she’d she her father in the audience from the wings and maybe, just maybe, she’d get to see him and he’d get to see her as a successful director and maybe, just maybe, stay for good this time.

But being the director of the Mankai Company also meant being a therapist, problem-solver, babysitter (for adults more often than the children), housekeeper and chef, although she really did love getting away with cooking curry every night they let her. It was the only dish she was good at. She barely got time for herself. She would never say it out loud, but she was tired. Bu she never had the time to be tired.

“Izumi…?

She looked back at the door. She had left it open just a crack like she usually did but she wasn’t expecting anyone to come by.

“Ah, come in!” She felt déjà vu as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you see im trying to flesh izumi out as a character in her own right rather than just a facilitator for conversations between the boys


	4. don't let me hide

“Hey Omi,” she smiled up at the door.

“Excuse me. I didn’t mean to intrude,” he stepped in hesitantly.

“Oh, no, no, God no. Come in,” Izumi ran a hand through her hair, shaking the previous worry out of her mind, “Your company is always welcome.”

“I didn’t get the chance to give you this,” he handed her a little white bottle. It was the aspirin she had asked him to get her earlier that day.

She took the medicine in her hand, “Oh! Thanks. I completely forgot. And now that I remember, my head really does still hurt,” Izumi laughed and rubbed her forehead, “Here. Sit,” she said, gesturing him to sit at her desk.

“Ah, thank you,” he sat down awkwardly.

The crack of the plastic cap of her water bottle filled the silence. Izumi threw her head back and chased two pills down her throat.

“About the announcement…” Omi started to say, but he was interrupted by Izumi hacking a lung out.

She quickly covered her mouth with her elbow. She swallowed her water wrong.

“Director, are you alright?” her coughing fit startled Omi.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry,” she giggled which let out a few sputtered coughs, “I promise I’m not sick. What did you want to say again?”

He relaxed a little, “The announcement from today. I—ah—we all really appreciate you working to keep the theater afloat,” he scratched at his scar and couldn’t look his director in the eyes.

“I was just doing what was needed,” she thought back to the tears she displayed for everyone earlier and winced, “I love Mankai. I would do anything to keep you guys safe. And healthy,” she took another swig from her water bottle. Omi usually wasn’t as shy as he was acting now. He was often openly flirtatious with the director, which made the change in personality her want to pry (where maybe she didn’t belong), “But Omi, are _you_ okay?”

He shook his head, “Ye—Yes, I’m fine. I’m just worried about you,” he said.

Her attempt to further dig was cut short by a very loud Banri in the living room whining about what dinner was going to be that night.

“Ah, that’s my cue,” Omi got up from the desk and (which Izumi thought was kind of him) pushed her chair in, “Take care of yourself, Izumi.”

Once Omi was out of her room, Izumi fell back on her bed. The deep sigh she let out rumbled her chest. She looked out the window. It was evening. The sun was waning and yellow light slowly flooded her bedroom. She held up her water bottle to a ray of light coming in. It looked like amber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter of a fic that no one asked for. 
> 
> i listened to odd eye circle's uncover the entire length of writing this chapter


	5. uncover me now (pt 1)

The yellow of the evening dissolved into the dark blue of the night.

Dinner was as normal as it could’ve been. Izumi felt bad for holing up in her room the few hours before it was served so she offered to wash dishes to help out. She felt like it wasn’t enough.

The rush of the warm water felt good on her hands. She thought for a second and turned the hot water on higher and started washing dishes. She didn’t pull away when the water burned her hands. She didn't notice. 

Just when she was scrubbing the sauce out of the pan, a pale hand abruptly shut the running water off. She turned to look at who the culprit was.

The blond yakuza stared down at her. His brows were furrowed in his classic, “You’re-doing-something-I-don’t-like-so-I’m-going-to-scold-you,” . She shook the water off her hands and patted them on her jeans.

“You’re driving the water bill up, “ he said, “Why do you insist on wasting money even during these times?”

“And look at your hands,” he held her red palms up to her face, “They’re burnt.”

His words made her feel how raw her hands felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am too lazy to completely write one chapter so this one will be in parts


	6. uncover me now (pt 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> izumi washes dishes, and sakyo joins her

She looked at her hands and looked up at him. Her heart panged in sync with the water droplets of the faucet.

“I’m just washing the dishes, Sakyo,” she lowered her voice so the others in the living room didn’t hear, “I’m trying to keep some normalcy in this house.”

“Not with literally throwing money down the drain—that just cannot do,” he was still keeping at this game. Izumi just could not understand why. She did, but she didn’t. Times like now she questioned why he stayed with Mankai. But she knew why. And he did too.

“Why do you always get on my case like this? We have savings. We won’t go under,” her hand gripped the side of the counter, trying to stop herself from shaking.

“Yeah, we do have savings. Thanks to my accounting,” he rolled up his sleeves and took the sponge to continue what she started.

“I don’t want to fight with you,” she grabbed the dish he finished washing and dried it off.

“Then just do what I ask you to do,” he said.

She stopped drying the dish off. She looked at him, her eyes watering for the third time that day. She continued drying the dish.

“Izumi.”

The director said nothing.

“Izumi,” he said this time, a little more desperate.

“What? What is it?” Maybe she’d hang out with Tasuku or Azuma from now on. She didn’t get to talk to them much anyway.

“I’m sorry.” 

Izumi swallowed back the tears. Her eyes were too tired to cry. The drops of water that fell from her fingers cried for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it took me so long to write this chapter. im letting finals kick my ass and half of them are just projects i've already finished. things are letting up with coronavirus now (so much so as they can), but i'm actually worried about japan because i'm not sure if they've hit their peak yet.
> 
> as always, stan loona

**Author's Note:**

> this is my most shameful work ive ever written... but ive just had this on my mind since being stuck at home


End file.
